


The Best Adventure Yet - Gijinkamon

by Tis_I_A_Small_Weirdo



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Versions
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Heterosexual Sex, Multi, Multiple Sex Positions, Other, Pokemon Journey, Polyamory, Reverse Harem, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-17 04:47:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8131016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tis_I_A_Small_Weirdo/pseuds/Tis_I_A_Small_Weirdo
Summary: Moving was bad enough. Moving from the middle of the barren desert where seeing a single human was rare enough to an abundantly green region filled with the mystical beings known as Pokémon, humanoid creatures with superhuman powers, was just plain overwhelming. But that was the reality Jessica found herself in as she sat in the back of the moving van, playing an old game on her old handheld to pass the time until she arrived at her destination.
The little adventure that played out in the little emerald cartridge would soon eerily mimic the adventure Jessica would find herself in. With six other Pokémon, she would make her way to the top, with some time for romance, rivalries, and saving the world a couple times here and there in between. It truly would be one of the greatest adventures yet...
(A series heavily inspired by Moemon but with changes to the formula.)





	1. Not an Ace... Yet

**Author's Note:**

> I suppose there's no better way that to start off my stay here than with a porn story. Not really but I gotta break the ice somehow.
> 
> As I mentioned this story is inspired by Moemon, but because of certain elements of the stories and things I'd like to see, I ended up making so many changes it felt so different and I wanted to try it out, and it simply doesn't feel right calling it anything like Moemon. I'll give a list of quick, major differences so folks can know what the differences are and know what their getting into.
> 
> 1\. Plot and character focused story, realistically so. I'll be following the games plot with some liberties to make it more interesting, I'm not going to go super dark because I just feel it's not done right very often. The best things I've seen do so are the Pokémon Coliseum and XD games, plus the plot of X and Y. The Gijinka's are characters before they are attractive, and they aren't just cut out of their series/species descriptions either.
> 
> 2\. For world building reasons I'm not going to go too much into it right now, but sex is handled WAAAAAY differently here than in most Moemon fics. I'll just give the quick need to know basics.
> 
> Sex must be voluntary between both trainer and human.
> 
> Sexuality is a spectrum on both ends. (Two basic things, but thought I should mention still it)
> 
> You're either a fully grown adult/fully evolved or aged Pokémon and have sex or you don't. There is no underaged interaction of any sort, not even implied.
> 
> Sex is not necessary for Trainers and Pokémon to bond, it is simply an option among many others.
> 
> 3\. Things will be very balanced in terms of gender and appearance of Pokémon, it will not be all cute little girls and big busty women. Each Pokémon will have unique designs, and while some of the same species may look similar to one another for biological reasons as they are still the same species (like two Zigzagoons, no doubt they're going to look similar) I'm going to try and add some good variety to it all because I feel the crazy fun designs you could do is never really taken advantage of in most Moemon fics.
> 
> 4\. Socially, Pokémon are treated the same as humans. A caught Gijinka is not owned, they simply have a partner. Gijinka's are free to voice their opinions and agree, disagree, and even argue and debate with their trainer. They choose their relationships, some trainers and Gijinka are lovers, some are friends, some are somehow rivals. Its different for every person on both sides how they choose to live with their trainers/Pokémon.
> 
> 5\. Mechanically I made Pokémon work the same was in the game as they do here, just in human bodies with a few alterations here and there. Kinda more along the lines of the anime almost. You'll see in this chapter.
> 
> 6\. They are still called Pokémon in this world, not Gijinka, I just use the word interchangeably in notes. I feel calling them Gijinka in the story would take away what unique about them compared to humans.
> 
> Welp, I've wasted enough of all our time by explaining the changes I made with this little idea/world/concept and sounding like an asshole. Hope y'all enjoy the first chapter.

Jessica had her knees curled up to her chest as she sat in the far back of the moving truck, hitting against boxes and the back wall as she looked down at her GameBoy, chin resting on her knees. She didn't mind riding in the moving truck, she just wished the drive was less bumpy and the driver didn't take his turns so sharp.

Her point was made again as the driver suddenly decided to swing left, slamming the redhead into a box clearly labeled ‘FRAGILE.’ She groaned as she scooted away from the somewhat crushed box, and groaned even louder when she realized during the turn she accidentally hit the ‘Boy’ option on her hand.

“Now I gotta start over and sit through that whole cutscene again…” She whined, slumping against the wall and desk she say on, pushing her slightly crooked glasses back up her nose. Jess normally wouldn’t mind, replaying every moment of Pokémon Emerald had and still is her favorite thing to do since she was seven years old. But today of all days she couldn't help but feel a bit bitter about all that was going on. And the reason was obvious, she was moving.

It wasn't because of the fact her family was moving from Orre to Hoenn itself, she didn't really have any friends that would miss her or anything that she would miss, but more that the reason and the effects of moving she was upset about. She cared for her Dad, but now he would be gone even more than he previously was when working as just a basic Pokémon League trainer, leaving her and Mom alone much more often. She also knew nothing of the Hoenn region, the most she ever learned about the region was the inspiration for the region in her outdated Emerald game. A completely clean slate, something she wasn't sure if she wanted.

But as the truck came to a screeching stop, Jess quickly realized it was something she would have to come to terms with. Standing up on her half asleep legs, she put her GameBoy to the side and trudged toward the light that started to fill the truck as the door open. She hopped down once she reached the edge, squinting to keep the bright light from blinding her. When she hit the ground she barely kept her knees from buckling under her, as expected after spending four hours sitting in the back of a dark truck. She felt crisp, thick grass beneath the soles of her yellow, black, and red sneakers. A cool breeze flowed by as the sky was alight with the vibrant colors of a sunset and the shades that hinted at the coming night, a clean line of clouds littering the sky as something flew far above the ground.

“Jessica! I’m so glad you've finally arrived!” Her mother greeted her with a large smile, stepping forward and hugging her daughter. Jessica smiled and hugged her mom back, leaning on her a bit for support as her legs got used to the ground, glad to see her after nearly a full day of traveling separately by boat and truck. “Riding in the back of the shaky old truck for that long must have been so hard!”

“I managed.” Jess said with a shrug and a bit of a smile as she pulled back and looked at her mom. Jess didn't really look like either of her parents, having more of a pale complexion and bright red hair, but beyond her glasses everyone always said she had her mother's blue eyed and fathers strong stance.

“So this is Littleroot Town?” Jessica said as she looked around, rocking back and forth on her tip-toes. The ‘town’ was composed of three buildings, including her house. Further down the route to the north she could see a few more buildings, probably making up another ‘town.’ Compared to Orre, everything was cool and green and vibrant, not monotoned by the color of sand or rust in the least. Everything smelled so much fresher too, lacking any kind of sting a harsh environment could bring. Though she wasn't sure she could call it home, especially since she had never even really called Orre home. “It's nice, I like it a lot.”

“Yes! Isn't it wonderful?! Come, you have to take a look at our new house!” Her mother said with an excited clap and lead Jessica toward the new, rustic wooden building. Jessica couldn't help but smile and get excited along with her mother.

The inside was even more quaint and homely, all wood floors and nice painted walls with big windows and lighting. The dining area was separated from the kitchen by a little wall. Two dark-skinned Machoke gijinkas wearing movers uniforms were carrying and unpacking stuff, one carefully setting up the new TV and the other unpack some dishes.

“Isn't it nice? The moving company’s Pokémon even help and unpack and clean-up, making moving quickly a cinch!” She said with a smile. The two Machoke’s finished up and walked over towards Jess’ mother, one having boxes of trash hoisted up onto his shoulders while the other smiled and reached his hand out to shake her hand. The only way you could really tell these two were Machoke gijinka were the three, yellow horn-like structures sticking out from between their cornrows and meeting in in the middle of their foreheads.

“Everything should be all set up now, ma’am. If any things wrong, just give the company a call.” One said, shaking her mother's hand.

“Of course, thank you so much for your help.” She said, blushing a bit and making Jess feels bit uncomfortable. He nodded and turned and left, the other Machoke following in suit as he carried the trash. He looked at Jessica and nodded, and Jess nodded back, understanding a bit.

“Oh, Jess, that's right!” Her mother exclaimed as the mover Machoke closed the door behind him. “Your father went and bought you a clock to celebrate the move! You should go set the time and take a look at your new room! I'm going to make sure everything is setup right and put away.”

“Ok.” Jessica said, watching as her mom went to the kitchen before headed up the stairs. The top floor seemed to only be one room, so Jessica guessed the door she saw in the kitchen area led to her parents room.

The top floor was all her room, and entirely set up already. A map of Hoenn and a new, pink clock hung on the wall. In one corner sat her desk, everything somewhat messily displaced on it, and in the other day her bed with pink sheets and checkered bedding. Near the stairwell her TV was set up along with her massive Lapras plush and Wii U on a pink rug.

“Thanks for the great gift, dad…” Jess said sarcastically, setting the clock to the time displayed on her PokéNav, which she would always have on her. “At least it's pretty, even if it's useless…”

Jess went over to her desk and looked to check everything was there. She also looked in the tiny mirror that say on her desk, fixing the bandanna she wore around her head to be look like a cute bow that sat just above her bangs, rather than a headband to wipe up sweat from the back of the truck. Once assuring all her possessions, including a few notebooks filled with sloppily written notes on Pokémon topics and magazines on Pokémon research were there, she headed downstairs again. Jessica figured her mom would still be unpacking and needed help with some item the Machoke couldn't get the themselves. However as she descended the stairs, Jessica heard the TV on, live and loud to some news station. Before she was even all the way down the steps, Jessica found herself being pulled to the TV by her mother.

“Jess, Jess! Quick! They're doing a special on Petalburg Gym on TV, we’ll get to see your dad!” Her mother said excitedly, making Jessica’s stomach twist up a bit into a knot. However, just as Jessica and her mother reached the TV, the screen cut away to the anchor at the desk to talk about a meteor shower before Jessica could even see her dad, making her feel slightly relieved. Anything about her dad and this gym leader business made her blood steam up a bit, it seemed. She didn't know why, but it did.

“Aww, we missed it…” Her mother said, seeming genuinely upset, before snapping her as she remembered something. “That's right, Jess! A friend of your father’s lives in this town! His name is Professor Birch, I believe he has a son around your age! You really should go and introduce yourself!”

Jessica looked at her a bit oddly. “Isn't it kinda late, though? I don't want to interrupt their dinner or something…”

“Oh hush, it's only 5:30, I'm sure it will be fine. Now go on, I'm sure you'll get along great with his son.” Her mother said with a wave of her hand. Realizing there was no way to talk her mother out of sending her out, Jessica sighed a bit through her nose and walked out the door to her house.

Jessica was immediately greet with the smell of flowers and a slightly cool breeze. This was defiantly something she could get used to, especially compared to sand getting blown into her face everyday she left for school. Guessing her neighbor was probably the house right next to hers, the only other house in town, she walked over and knocked on the door. After a few seconds of waiting, a woman with curly dark brown hair in a brown white spotted dress opened the door.

“Hm? Oh, you must be our new neighbor, Jessica!” She said with a smile and gasp. She stepped aside, letting Jessica have a way into the house. “It's nice to meet you! Sadly my husband isn't here right now, but please come in!”

“Thank you, ma’am, it's nice to meet you too.” Jessica said as she stepped in. The house was a mirror image of her own, minus a few small details and the smell of a baking pie wafting through the air.

“Our son is actually about the same age as you! He’s been so excited to meet you, been talking about it non-stop over the whole weekend! He should be upstairs right, why don't you go meet him?” She said and stepped a bit to the side, letting Jessica see the stairs.

“If you think it's okay, ma’am.” Jessica said, feeling a bit nervous as she started to ascend the stairs. People of her age in Orre that weren't punks were hard to come by, so she was curious to see what this boy would be like.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she was greeted by the sight of a room that mimicked her own and a boy standing at his desk. Similar to her, he wore shorts, only black and knee length compared to white and mid-thigh (though she did wear bicycle shorts underneath). His t-shirt was red and black like her tanktop, and he had a green and white backpack compared to her green and yellow fanny back. His green and white sneakers clearly had more wear and tear than her own, and to top it all off he wore some form of odd looking hat she didn't recognize. All in all, he seemed ready to be on the move and go outside.

“Pokemon restored, all my items….” He grumbled to himself, before turning toward the stairs. He jumped back a bit, only just noticing Jessica. He walked toward her and stopped in front of her, clearly confused why she was here. ‘Is he just gonna stare at me, or…?’ Jessica thought, thinking of a way to break this awkward silence.

“Oh, I remember! You must be Jessi! Nice to meet you, I'm Brendan!” He said aloud, making Jessica smile a bit as the tension in the air immediately lightened.

“Yeah, I'm Jessica, nice to meet you.” She said, but before she could get another word out, Brendan said something that brought that horrible tension back.

“I didn't think you’d be a girl.” He said, making Jessica’s smiling face crack a big as she opened her eyes to stare at him, who seemed obvious to what he said.

“W-Wha-”

“I mean when Dad- Oops, Prof. Birch, told me a Gym Leader and his kid were moving here, I figured you’d be a guy… Oh well, we’re still neighbors so let’s be good friends, okay?” Brendan said with a shrug and a slight laugh. Jessica could not be-fucking-lieve what she was hearing. Brendan seriously though he could say and then brush it under the rug?

Before she could respond, eyes still wide in response, Brendan than said, “Huh? Hey, Jessi, don't you have any Pokémon? I can go catch you one to have, even you at least gotta have a Trainer’s Card, right?”

Before Jessica could snap at him, Brendan gasped and rushed down the stairs, practically pushing past her. “Shoot! Promised to help Dad with field research! Sorry Jessi, I’ll help you out another time!” He shouted and the clear slamming of a door could be heard as he ran out of his house.

Jessica had to resist the urge of shouting and stomping the down the stairs, reminding herself Brendan’s mother was downstairs still, taking a breath to calm herself and forcing her anger to quell in silence, she started to walk down the stairs, holding back grumble. ‘How could someone whose the son of a professor be so daft?’ She thought bitterly, knowing who she wouldn’t be getting along with in this town.

“I'm sorry about my son running off, Jessica. Not only that but my husband isn't here…” Brendan’s mother said, approaching her once she reached the bottom of the stairs. She was clearly worn out over that excitement. She reminded Jessica a bit of her own mother. “But it was so nice of you to visit! Please, stop by tomorrow, I'm baking a pie right now and it should be done by then. You do like sweet things, right? Your mother talked about you a bit earlier when we met.”

“Yes! Thank you so much for inviting me in, it was nice to meet you!” Jessica said, mood brightening quite a bit at the friendly invitation. It was quite the sweet surprise considering the sour encounter Jessica just had with her son.

Waving her goodbye, Jessica left the house. The sky was slightly more pink and purple as she left the house, the summer air now a bit more cool. Jessica looked around, noticing the last building in town was a lab that Prof. Birch no doubt worked at.

“Maybe he's there…” She thought aloud, before figuring she might as well check. Before she could though, a faint sound could be heard, making her look over her shoulder toward Route 101. Curiously, she walked over, the sound getting louder until it was clearly someone shouting. She then picked up the pace, almost running toward the small gate that connected the town to the route. A little boy with big glasses stood near one of the poles, looking worried.

“Kid, what's going on out there?!” Jessica asked, worry brewing deep in her gut as a loud growl was heard and followed by another scream.

“I-I think someone up ahead is in trouble! What should we do?! Someone has to go help…” He said. Before Jessica could stop herself, she found herself running toward the sounds, heart thumping in her ears. ‘What am I doing?! How can I help?!’ Her conscious screamed, but the rest of her brain almost calmly seemed to agree on the other thought of, ‘You can do this, you gotta help.’

Jessica found herself in the middle of the route, looking around, trying to locate where the sounds were coming from. However as she shuffled forward, her feet brushed against something. It was a Pokéball, having fallen out of the ground along with two others from a bag that was open and thrown on the ground nearby. Suddenly, another scream followed by a loud snarl was heard, and Jessica jerked her head in the direction it was coming from.

She saw a hefty looking man in a lab coat was back up against a tree, cornered by a wild Poocheyana. Foam dropped from it mouth as snarls and growls were the only thing that came from its throat, eyes trained onto the cornered professor as its took step after step forward, it's simply grey shirt and shorts stained with the secretion that came from its mouth. The man looked around wildly, before Jessica locked eyes with the man.

“H-Hey, hello! You over there! Please, help me out! Grab one of the Pokéballs! In my bag! Please!” The man shouted at her, waving his arms as if to grab her attention even though her clearly already had, before another sharp growl came from the Poocheyana. It lowered itself to the ground, back tensing as it snarled even louder.

Recognizing this as a sign of attack, Jessica acted quick. She grabbed the Pokéball right by her leg and reeled her arm back. “Hey, fuzzball! Pick on someone your own size!” She shouted and hurled the ball at him. The ball hit the Pocheyana in the back of his grey, ugly, tattered mullet. It yelped and whimpered, rubbing the back of his head before turning and focusing its furious gaze on her.

The Pokéball bounced back into her hand and it was then she clicked the button, releasing the Pokémon inside. The ball opened with a snap and a bright red and orange light emerged slowly materializing into a form.

The Pokémon that popped out looked to be about seven years old, a fair skinned little boy. He was wearing yellow shorts and sneakers, an orange t-shirt, topped with an orange jean jacket that had a fluffy yellow collar seeking to be made of feathers. His hair was a bright orange with a strands being few yellowish that sat at the top of his head. It was a Pokémon Jessica didn't recognize, unlike the overly common Poocheyana. He opened his blue eyes and looked around in confusion, before noticing Jessica and then the rabid Poocheyana bounding towards them.

“W-What's going on?!” The boy exclaimed.

“Sorry to rush you into this, kiddo, but we gotta fight!” Jessica exclaimed, cementing her deleting on the ground. “You gotta trust me on this! Use scratch or tackle or pound or whatever it is you have!”

The Pokémon looked confused for just a moment, before donning a serious expression and nodding.

Quickly it charged toward the Pocheyana, fingers glowing with power and seeming to turn into claws. They jumped in the air, closing in on each other as the Poocheyana prepared to tackle and Jessica’s Pokémon had its arms pulled back to scratch.

Jessica’s Pokémon slashed right into the Poocheyana’s torso, making it snarl in pain as jagged scratch marks were clearly left as the force of the attack pushed them both back on the ground. The Poocheyana snarled and charged forward to Tackle Jessica’s Pokémon! As the Poocheyana prepared for impact, the little orange haired Pokémon smirked and quickly side stepped it, causing the Poocheyana to slam face first into the dirt!

The Poocheyana roared as it jumped up, making the little orange Pokémon giggle. Jessica couldn't help but smile, feeling a thrill as the battle quickly came to a clear ending point.

“You’re a fire type, right?!” Jessica asked as the Poocheyana growled at them.

“Of course, don't you recognize a Torchic, lady?!” The boy said with a grin as he looked over his shoulder at her.

Jessica couldn't help but grin back. “Then make like one and end this battle with Ember!” She exclaimed, throwing her arm out excitedly as the heat of the battle got to her.

The Torchic nodded, and crouched down and jumped in the air, powerful little legs taking him high.

“You messed with…” The little Pokémon began, cheeks puffing up and face turning red. Once his face was scrunched up and cheeks fully puffed out, he spat out a small ball of fire right at the Poocheyana!

“THE WRONG POKÉMON!!!”

The ball of fire hit the Poocheyana right in the chest, causing little embers to splash and spread out once it hit. The rabid Pokémon yelped and whined as it was sent fly back into the grass before getting up, shaking, and running away in its tattered, burned clothes, whining the whole way.

“That. Was. Awesome!” The little Torchic exclaimed, holding his arms up in the air and laughing. He ran towards Jessica, eyes lit up in excitement. “Did you see what I did there??! You shouted ‘Use Ember!’ And I was ‘Alright!’ And then I jumped and puffed up then BAM! Hit him right in the chest!”

“Totally, high five me!” Jessica said, just as excited, giving the kid a high five before she could even stop and think.

“Whew… You saved my me back there. I was just doing some field research and that little guy came after me. Thank you so much!” Jessica and the Torchic looked up as the man came toward them, picking up his bag and the two spare Pokéballs that had fallen out on the way. He stood up and smiled down at Jessica, before his face morphed into realization. “Wait a second… You're Norman’s daughter, Jessica!”

“Um, yeah. And I'm guessing you’re Prof. Birch?” Jessica asked, guessing from the lab coat. Jessica felt something touch her hand and looked down to see the Torchic fiddling with the Pokéball in her hand before suddenly it opened and he went back inside, the little boy turning back into a mess of red lightning before going in.

“Yes! I should have guessed who you were, you have that same spark about battling your dad has!” Birch said with a hearty laugh. “But let's not continue out here, let's go back to my lab where it's safer.”

With that Jessica followed Prof. Birch back to his lab, the last building in town she had to visit. The lab itself was a room room building, the walls lined with desks full of equipment, computers, bookshelves, and expensive looking machines. Most of it was white and sterile, but messy piles of books and little potted plants showed some people worked here. Jessica followed Prof. Birch to the back of the lab, toward a small desk that was probably his 'office.'

“I really do need to thank you properly.” Birch said as he set his bag down on his desk and turned to face Jessica. “Your father has told me a lot about you. But when I saw you battle alongside Torchic… It was almost like watching an entirely different person! I know because you grew up in Orre you never had the chance to become a Pokémon trainer… Well, I'd like to right that wrong by letting you have Torchic!”

“W-What?!” Jessica spluttered in shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Owning a Pokémon in Orre was rare, and she never did get to go on an adventure like most 10 year olds. So to be given one now… It just made her heart swell and beat with a million emotions at once. “Are you sure?”

“Of course! You’re already holding his Pokéball! Why not call him out now and tell him?” Birch said. Jessica nodded, fumbling with the Pokéball a bit as she pulled it out of pocket. She called Torchic out, and he looked up at the two expectantly.

“What's going on?” He asked and Birch chuckled.

“Torchic, I'd like you to meet your new trainer.” Birch said and looked at Jessica with a smile. Torchic gasped excited and quickly hugged Jessica's leg, making the tall girl blush a bit.

“Really?!”

“Um, yeah, I guess so.” Jessica said with a weak smile and gently patted him on the head. The Torchic let got and stepped back, grin huge on his face.

“How about you give Torchic a name? That will surely strengthen your bonds!” Birch suggested.

“Is that okay with you, buddy?” Jessica asked, and the Torchic nodded happily. “Alright then. How about… Ace? Like, a flying ace, sort of. Or an Ace Trainer...”

“Ace…” The Torchic repeated aloud, rocking back and forth on his soles. “Ace… Ace! Ace-y Ace-y Ace… I like it!” He finally exclaimed with a big grin. Jessica couldn't help but return the enthusiastic grin.

“Awesome! I'm glad you do, Ace!” She said, making Birch chuckle.

“This reminds me of when I have Brendan his starter. You've met my son, correct?”

Jessica could help but get a sour taste in her mouth and felt her face almost instinctively melt into a scowl. “Ooh, yeah, I met him…” She said, trying to keep venom from dropping into her tone, something only Ace seemed to notice as he looked up at her in confusion.

“Wonderful!” Birch said excitedly. “He should be out on Route 103 studying Pokémon. It might not be a bad idea for you to go see Brendan. What do you think?”

Jessica thought for a second. She really didn't want to see that kid again. But she kind of wanted to shove in his face she got a Pokémon without his help. With that thought in mind, she put on a smile and said, “Totally, I wouldn't mind seeing him again.”

“Great! Route 103 is just north of here, good luck you two!” Birch said, waving the two goodbye. Once outside the door, Ace grabbed onto Jessica's arm as she reached in and pulled out his Pokéball.

“Hey, Jessica, is it okay if I stay outside and walk around with you?” He asked.

“Oh,” Jessica said, a bit taken aback by the request, but smiled and said, “Sure buddy, just stay close.”

“Thanks!” He said with big, toothy grin.

The two headed on their way into Route 101, hand in hand as they wandered through the grass, headed towards the small town in the north. They found themselves confronted by a few Wrumple and Zigzagoons simply looking for trouble, all of which Ace made quick work of using his Scratch or Ember attack. Quickly, he found himself leveled up a few times, now level seven. Every time he leveled up she couldn't help but feel pride swell for the little Torchic, even though she just met him.

After reaching Oldale Town and learning about the Pokémart and Pokécenter from a helpful employee that was doing a free Potion Promotion, giving the rookie trainer a few, they found themselves north of the town, on the beginning of Route 103.

“Hey, Jessica, I have a few questions.” Ace asked as he walked alongside her.

“What kind of questions?” Jessica asked as she waded through the grass, trying to figure out the somewhat winding route.

“Questions about you! Like, have you even owned a Pokémon before?” Ace began his line of question.

“No, no, Pokémon are kind of rare where I grew up. No one ever could catch me one. And my dad never really had the time to try and catch me a wild one, which is nearly impossible, anyway...”

“Huh, that's weird. I see a lot of Pokémon in Prof. Birch’s lab… How old are you?”

“I'm 19, going to be 20 in about three months.” She said, grabbing Ace’s hand as a precaution they walked through the thick grass.

“Wow, that must mean you can do anything!” Ace said with a gasp, making Jessica chuckle a bit. “How did you learn to battle Pokémon then if there aren't any Pokémon in your region?”

“I went to school that teaches you about it, even if we couldn't really learn it.” Jessica explained, before stopping in her tracks. She saw Brendan, looking into a peaceful little pond as he mumbled on about Pokémon. She tightened her grip a bit.

“Do you not like him?” Ace asked, looking up at Jessica’s face with a look of confusion on his own.

“No… Sorta… He said something really insulting to me earlier and doesn't really to care or even notice it.” She grumbled. But then she turned to Ace and said with a smile and thumbs up. “But I think we can teach him a lesson. What do ya say, Ace?”

Ace grinned and pounded one fist into his open palm. “We can take him!” He exclaimed, making Jessica smile and ruffle his hair before they walked up to Brendan. Only noticing them when they were right beside him.

“Woah! Hey, Jessi! Dad gave you a Pokémon, as well? That's a surprise!” He said with a light-hearted laugh, making Jessica feel rage build up.

“Oh really?” She asked and crossed her arms.

“Yeah, I mean you just came from Orre and all…” He said, before getting a determined look on his face and pulling a Pokéball out of his pocket. “But since you're already here, how about you buckle down and I show you what being a trainer is really about?!”

“Go ahead,” Jessica said with a slight laugh and shrug, stepping back as Ace stepped forward, cheeks already puffed up with an Ember ready to go. “Make me and Ace’s day.”

“Give it your best shot!” Brendan shouted and threw his Pokéball up into the air. “Go, Kaiju!”

Out from the Pokéball popped another boy, the same age as Ace. This boy wore blue flower patterned swimming trunks and an open blue jacket that had an orange circle decorating the bottom at the back, revealing his bare chest. He wore cute flip-flops and had a blue bandage covering his nose, bright blue hair styled up into a little Mohawk.

“Scratch!”

“Tackle!”

Both trainers shouted at their Pokémon, and each charged. Both exchanged blows, Kaiju ramming Ace right in the chest, but giving Ace easy access to claw at his sides as he went tumbling away. Jessica was worried until noticing Ace’s attack did more damage, Kaiju looking more beat up.

“Scratch again!”

“Water Gun!”

Jessica’s eyes widened as she heard Brendan's shout, realizing her mistake. She tried to call out to Ace to dodge but it was too late.

Ace just barely managed to get in his hit before being blown back. He tumbled through the grass and mud, getting covered in dirt and grass scraps. Jessica cringed a bit as she saw the younger Pokémon tear up in pain as he sat on his butt, barely still in the battle and soaking wet. Jessica rushed toward him, pulling a potion out of her bag. She knew this was technically wasting her turn since Ace could definitely outspeed Kaiju, but if the next attack didn't take him down they would surely lose.

“Try not to rush into a full front attack, Ace, buddy.” Jessica said as she carefully sprayed his injuries with the medicine. “It's not as effective and it leaves you wide open, go for the sides. Feel better now?”

“Yeah, thanks Jess.” Ace said and jumped up, healed up very well due to the medicine. His smile didn't falter even when Brendan commanded Kaiju to intimidate him with a growl.

“Let's finish this, Ace! Scratch!”

“Water Gun, one more time Kaiju!”

Ace dashed forward, little shoes kicking up dirt behind him as Kaiju stood his ground and puffed his cheeks up to shoot out a Water Gun. Jessica bit her thumb as Ace ran right toward Kaiju’s front.

“Ace!” Jessica called out once the little Torchic was right in front of the fully charged Mudkip. However, in the blink of an eye, Ace jumped to the side and scratched right at Kaiju’s vulnerable side!

This made the little Pokemon shout out and lose his Water Gun as Ace’s scratch hit him harder than ever before, almost going all along his body. Kaiju groaned and stumbled before falling back, knocked out by the critical hit. Ace’s chest was heaving, that critical hit really seemed to take a lot out of him, probably having been partially forced out.

“I… Did it…” Ace said, before his face lit up and turned to his trainer. “I did it, Jessica! Look what I did!”

Jessica blinked out of her stupor to break into a toothy grin, laughing and scooping Ace up, resting him on her arm in a strong man pose in victory. “Haha! I knew you could do it, you beat the type odds and everything! At this rate we'll be the best trainer and Pokémon team in no time!”

“You beat me…” Brendan said, clearly in shock as Kaiju was returned to his Pokéball. He then laughed nervously. “Hehe, I guess even someone like you can battle well.”

Brendan looked up, and was only greeted by the cold, hard stares of Jessica and Ace, clearly not very happy with him or his choice of wording. He laughed nervously again and exclaimed, “W-Welp, meet you back at the lab then!” Before running off.

“He's mean.” Ace said and stuck his tongue out, before Jessica just shrugged and set him him on the ground.

“No, I think he's starting to realize the kind of shi… Things he says…” Jessica said, cutting herself off before cursing. She knew Pokémon aging was entirely different from humans, but she still didn't want to make a bad impact on a child. Instead she looked to Ace and said, “Race you back to the lab?”

The little gijinka nodded, and with that they ran.

-

“You beat, Brendan, on your first try! With a disadvantaged Pokémon! Amazing!” Birch laughed, clapping as Brendan stood beside him, looking a tad embarrassed.

“That's it, I've made a decision.” Birch said and began rummaging through one of his lab coat pockets. “Jessica you probably want to take on the League, right?”

“Um, yeah actually. Collecting the gym badges always seemed kind of fun and the trainers that go for that are the kind I want to be.” Jessica admitted. Ace looked at her in confusion, clearly not understanding every term she was using.

“Well, you'll meet hundreds of Pokémon along the way and I would like you,” Birch handed her a thin, small machine that resembled a GameBoy Advanced, his playing the words POKÉDEX on the blue screen, making her in-take a breath sharply. “To record their data using this Pokédex!”

“P-Professor, I don't know what to say… Thank you…” Jessica said. She knew these things were rarer than a shiny Pokémon, so to get one was a huge honor. “I'll try my hardest to use it and get some good info then, I promise.”

“That's all I could ask! Now go out there and get started on your new adventure!”

Birch then turned and went to go to his desk at the back. Brendan stepped forward, looking really embarrassed. “Hey um… I guessed both have Pokédexes now, that pretty cool! Hopefully we can work together.”

Jessica just stared at him, making him sigh. “Look I'm… Sorry, I really am, about everything I said earlier and what I did after the battle. I guess I just realized how much of a jerk I sounded like all at once and that got me really flustered and nervous, especially since your gazes were very sharp. I told my Dad and he told me I really was being kind of a jerk, and my mom always told me I need to think more before I speak… Can we be cool now, and maybe be friends still?”

Jessica stated him up and down, and once determining he was serious she smirked and nodded gently. “Of course, just don't let it get to your head or forget, okay?”

“Really?! A-Awesome, thanks! I'm really to have you as a friend. Here,” Brendan took a handful up empty Pokéball’s out of his backpack and have the to her. “A gift, you'll need those to catch more Pokémon! Hope to see you out there and getting stronger and collecting more Pokémon too!”

“You too, I'm going to be on my way then. See ya later.” Jessica said and headed out of the lab. The sky now only had hints of sunset left, the sky not yet dark enough for the stars to reveal themselves. As Jessica and Ace headed north, Jessica saw her mom was actually standing outside the house, looking around. When her eyes landed on her she walked over, a smile on her face.

“Jessica! Did you meet-” Jessica’s mother cut herself off with an excited gasp as she noticed Ace, who was smiling sweetly as he rocked back and forth on his soles. “Oh, what a charming little Pokémon! Where did you get him from?”

“Actually, uh, I helped Prof. Birch out and he gave me Ace as a gift for thanks.” She admitted somewhat awkwardly, unsure how she was going to explain her plans to travel to her mom.

“Hello, ma’am!” Ace chirped, and Jessica could see her mom was won over in a second.

“Oh, he's so sweet! You two look just like your father when he started his journey… you look so good with a Pokémon!”

“Actually, Mom, Prof. Birch asked me-” Jessica felt her mother's hand in her shoulder, cutting her off.

“it's alright, sweetheart, I understand, and your father will be overjoyed. But remember you and your Pokémon can always come home for a rest when needed. Now go out there and go get ‘em.” She said with a smile. Jessica could only just grin and nod back, quickly hugging her mother before rushing toward the gate that decided the town and the route, seeming like a whole new adventure again already.

“You ready, Ace?” Jessica asked and looked down at her little partner.

“Why wouldn't I be?!” He exclaimed excitedly, jumping up and down for joy with energy that couldn't be contained.

With a smile and confirmation, Jessica and her partner took their first steps into their new adventure.


	2. Sour Beginnings Can Lead to Sweet Resolutions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ("Running In the 90s" onto the stage.) ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
> 
> Wow, nearly a year later and I'm finally here with a chapter of nothing everyone's favorite, exposition!
> 
> So a lot's happened since I started this fic. I:
> 
> Moved back in with my dad.
> 
> Moved into my first apartment by myself immediately after.
> 
> My teen sister moved in with me to finish high school, so I support her now + me.
> 
> I got a new job that is now year round.
> 
> And I learned I have to retake my math classes and pretty much waste away in one more year of college because fuck English Major's, apparently.
> 
> So there's that.
> 
> On the bright side during that whole time I outlined **the entire Arceus damned story** and after this chapter form now one every chapter will be nothing but story and character development meat and chapters will be shorter for now on unless I can't help myself so I can write them more easily.
> 
> Welp, enough from me! All you need to know is I'm back and kicking, baby! Hope y'all enjoy the second chapter.

Locating the way to Petalburg wasn’t an issue for Jessica. She could assume the only other path she hadn’t taken before, headed to the west from Oldale Town, was the way. Ace was still at her side, holding onto her hand since, insisting on it since ‘that’s what partners do!’ The redhead couldn’t find it in her heart to disappoint the Torchic and tell him she wasn’t comfortable with holding hands. They passed a man with a sketchbook that looked incredibly embarrassed as they walked over muddy, clearly human footprints. The route stretched out in front of them in a clear path, a small river immediately to their right as worn down short grass showed where many people had walked before, then melting into tall green grass. A few people could be seen roaming about, either catching Pokémon or simply enjoying a walk as the setting sun illuminated everything in a meek golden glow, slowly shifting to purple as dark colors started to dominate the sky.

“Woah!” Ace exclaimed, eyes lighting up as he pointed skyward. Jess followed his pointing and saw a flock of Wingull gliding above the trees with the wings on their back, following the breeze as they playfully laughed and carried on. She couldn’t help but smile along with him, having never seen so many Pokémon, so many _wild_ Pokémon moving together in a group.

“C’mon! We can’t let them beat us!” Ace shouted and let go of Jess’ hand to run head.

“What on earth could they be trying to beat us at?!” Jess exclaimed as she ran to catch up, long legs letting her easily catch up to the Torchic’s stomping feet as the grass was flattened beneath them!

“The next town! Now hurry up they’re almost behind the trees-!”

“Hey!”

Ace skid to a stop as someone called out, and Jess stopped in suit, larger form and momentum almost making her trip and crush the Pokèmon. From the edge of the grass a young boy in a yellow tank top and shorts ran up to them, clutching his Pokéball close to his chest as he excited hopped in place.

“You’re a trainer, right?!” he asked, eyes lighting up as Jess nodded. “Then I challenge you to a Pokémon battle! And you can’t refuse because our eyes have already met and  those are the rules!”

Ace and Jess looked to each other, before Jess shrugged and smiled down at the youngster. “Alright, kiddo, sounds fair. What’s your name?”

“Calvin! And me and Zippy are gonna kick your butt!” he shouted as he happily threw his Pokéball in the air and released Zippy, a Zigzagoon with two-toned spiky hair and wearing a tan shirt with brown shorts, looking almost just like his trainer minus the cap.

“We’ll see, kid.” Jess said as Ace stepped forward, cheeks already blown up with an Ember ready to go.

It just took two Ember’s to deal with Zippy, and though he was defeated Calvin took it pretty well, happy to congratulate Jess on her victory and then record his number in her PokéNav, since it was his first battle and he absolutely wanted to battle her again when he was stronger. Like with Ace, she couldn’t turn the energetic kid down, feeling bad at even entertaining the idea. Happy to have her first random battle officially under her belt, she and Ace kept walking, Ace grabbing onto her hand once more.

“I’m feeling so much stronger already~” Ace giggled as he walked with a bit of a skip in his step.

“You did level up in that last battle.” Jess commented, recalling how her PokéNav beeped, the notification she received telling her how Ace leveled up to level 8. Jess still didn’t fully understand everything that had to do with being a trainer, or at least being a trainer in Hoenn. Everything was so different than in Orre. ‘ _Maybe I should pick up a book or something at the Pokémart in Petalburg..._ ’ Jess thought, knowing it would have at least one ‘Beginner Trainer’s Guide’ like all Pokémarts. Even ones in Orre had them.

“I can’t wait until I can level up again! It’s gonna be sooooo cool and I’m going to become even stronger and maybe grow up a little and get some cool new moves and…” Ace’s talking became white noise in Jess’ mind, but not in the annoying way. Hearing the cheery young Torchic talk and gush about this and that was pleasant, almost calming. Jess knew she was quiet, not much of a talker, and most assumed she hated hearing people talk as a result. But that was the opposite of the truth. She was a good listener, and loved listening to people talk about anything. It was like rainfall to her, simply lovely to listen.

As they walked and chatted, or Ace chatted and Jess nodded now and again, showing the young Torchic she was still listening, they got challenged twice. Once by a bug catcher who realized going up against a trainer with _one_ bug type Pokémon was the worst idea in the world, and another youngster of a trainer whose Poochyena and Taillow gave it their all, for their low levels. Despite them being mostly easy wins, Jess couldn’t help but have fun, simply having never felt the rush of battle before now, and the high was yet to taper off. The two continued on, Ace continuously babbling while Jess was content to listen.

“Jess?” Ace asked, pulling Jess out of her stupor.

“Yeah, buddy?” She asked and looked down as she felt him pulling at her hand. He was pointing at something again, and as Jess followed his finger she couldn’t help but gasp from excitement.

“Holy Miltank, berries!”

To someone from Hoenn wild berry trees were probably one of the most common things next to Zigzagoon. But to someone like her, they were one of the rarest things in the world, having to be cultivated in earthy, mineral rich caves to grow. And even then, selection was limited, fresh berries being sold in stores was pretty much unheard of unless you were from Agate village. But right in front of her, Jess plucked off two ripe, fresh as could be Oran and Pecha berries straight from the branches. The feeling of being able to just _gather_ natural, fresh food straight from outside was oddly wonderful. Before stuffing them in her bag she re-planted one of each, having heard how the trees were quick to decay after being picked, and not wanting to leave the soft soil bare. She then brought the remaining two berries to her nose and took a big whiff, taking in a citrus scent she had never known before.

“Those look sooooooo gooooooooood…” Ace said as Jess put the Pecha berry in her bag and moved to do the same with the Oran berry. She glanced from the fruit in her hand to Ace as he leaned against her leg, practically salivating at the sight of the berry. Jess hesitated for just a moment, before sighing as she held the berry out to Ace with a bit of a weak smile. She knew she could always come back since she just replanted the berries.

“Here. It’ll do more good in your hands than it will waiting in my bag.” She said, watching as the Torchic’s face lit up as he happily took the berry from her hands and put it in his jacket pocket. Jess continued on and Ace happily ran up alongside her, happy to keep on going.

Fighting one more trainer, a girl who managed to land a critical hit with her cute Zigzagoon before falling to an Ember and Scratch combination from Ace. They continued on, seeing beyond the last patch of tall grass where the grass path shifted into a tightly packed dirt one, signaling the entrance to Petalburg City.

“Heeeeeey! Jess! Wait up!”

Jess looked over her shoulder, and smiled as she saw Brendan running up behind her, Kaiju perched up on his shoulders and laughing as Brendan ran through the tall grass to Jess. He rested his hangs on his knees, panting as he caught his breath and Kaiju jumped off his shoulders. He looked up and smiled, placing his hands on his hips.

“There you are! You move really fast, I gotta say.” he said with a bit of nervous laugh. Kaiju happily walked up to Ace and grabbed his hands and began talking excitedly, and the two starters hit it off. “How’s it going? You find any other Pokémon while exploring you’ll think you’ll be adding to your team?”

“It’s going good, Ace is getting stronger with every battle and it’s just _fun_ to wander around and explore while traveling.” Jess admitted. “And not yet… I think I'll just stick Ace, unless I run into a Pokémon that really catches my attention.”

“That’s understandable, when I first got Kaiju I was overwhelmed at the idea of catching more Pokémon for my dad.” he said. Jess watched as his gaze shifted over her shoulder and he breathed out a ‘woah’ and walked around her, eyes staring up at something in the sky. Jess turned around, and let out a gasp of shock herself. Three Beautiflies, all siblings from the looks of it, flapped by. Their wings occasionally sparkling as old scales fell off off of their wings with each flap. The two older brothers flew ahead, laughing as they watched their younger sister struggle to keep up before-

“W-Woah!”

The younger Beautifly exclaimed as a gust of wind finally made her fall, taking a rough tumble and fall right into a tree. Brendan and Jess stared with wide eyes, cringing as they heard the poor preteens body hit the pine tree’s trunk with a solid ‘thunk!’

“Kid!” Brendan exclaimed and ran up to her, and Jess followed behind quickly. She stood by nervously as Brendan helped the bug type Pokémon stand up. She barely looked like he just dive-bomed right into a tree, the newsboy cap on her head just slightly crooked and pine needles decorating her colorful shirt and suspender skirt.

“Are you okay?” Jess asked and reached into her bag, pulling out a potion. The girl shook her head, flapping her wings to rid herself of the pine needles on them.

“I’m fine but thank you for worrying gotta go now!” The girl exclaimed in a rush and without so much as a limp began to run and took off towards the sky again! Her wings flapped rapidly as she flew to catch up to her brothers, the colors practically sparkling during the twilight hour.

“Woah…” Jess repeated, smiling a little. She felt Ace’s small hand worm its way into her own as they watched the Beautifly dance away on the sea breeze, and she squeezed it gently.

“Seeing things like that… I dunno, it just… Warms your heart, I guess.” Brendan said with a laugh, Jess watching as his cheeks stained pink from how cheesy he knew his own words were. “Anyway, we're right on the edge of Petalburg, let’s get going! Your dad, Norman, is the leader of the gym here, Right, Jess?”

The mention of her dad did weigh on the mood for a Jess a bit, but the redhead nodded to confirm Brendan’s statement.

“Well, you go on ahead and say hi to him. I’m going to wait a bit, fill out my team and train a bit before I fight him.”

“Alright, see you later then.” she said. Ace hugged Kaiju goodbye and the two headed towards Petalburg. The grass under their feet shifted to dirt, the sign they were finally in Petalburg. To their immediate right was the Pokémon Center and Pokémart. A few houses decorated the south side of town by the lake and the gym could be seen ahead, by a few other houses. Along from the side of the dirt roads and around houses small patches of flowers could be seen, growing and brightening up the town with their cheerful colors. A nice place, though knowing who resided here just made Jess’ stomach twist about in knots.

“Hang on buddy, I need to stop by the store first.” Jess said as Ace tried to go on ahead. The Torchic blinked a few times, before nodding.

“Okay, can I get a snack?”

“So long as it isn’t candy.”

“Aw, why not?”

“It’s gettin’ late and sugar is bad for you at night.”

“Okay…” he said and followed Jess to the Pokémart. Jess headed right for the book section and began looking while Ace went off to the food section. Jess searched around until she found a book titled _The Hoenn Region and Trainer Tactics for Beginners_ just as Ace came back with a granola bar. Jess took the snack from him and walked it up to the counter. She took out her trainer card and after some confusion (she was so used to carrying actual money around that using a credit card was just foreign to her) swiped her card and paid for the two things. Tucking the book away in her bag as Ace peeled away the silver wrapping of his granola the two left the store. As they exited did Jess glanced to the right and did a double take for a second, before realizing what she was seeing, or rather who she recognized.

“C’mon.” Jess said and grabbed Ace’s other hand, almost dragging him across the grass as Ace bit into his snack. Ahead of them, a man with dark hair and  eyes with a red jacket was taking to a young school boy.

“Thank you for the battle, Mr. Norman!” the school buy said before running off. Norman nodded and waved good-bye to the boy. Jess stepped forward, into her Dad’s peripheral vision and watched as he caught sight of her and turned to face her.

“Ah, if it isn’t Jessica! I imagine you've finished moving in?” Norman asked.

“I wouldn’t be here if  I wasn’t, would I?” Jess said, furrowing her brow a bit from annoyance of the small talk. Norman just chuckled nervously.

“Most likely not, though I am curious as to how you came here by yourself.” Jess held back the groan in her through. She practically rolled her eyes as she ‘subtly’ (i.e. no so subtly) gestured her head to Ace, still standing right next to her and munching on his granola bar. Norman blinked a few times in surprise before exclaiming. “Ah, I see! It looks like you're going to become trainer, just like me? That’s wonderful!”

“Yeah, just like you…” she replied ‘enthusiastically.’ She could see Ace raising a brow at her tone out of the corner of her eye. She almost didn’t bother trying to hide how unenthused she was, because as she predicted her dad took no notice.

“Why don’t we continue this conversation in the gym? Come on in.” the older man turned his back and headed into the dojo-like gym.

Though Jess just wanted to be off, she didn’t want to get a call from mom later, so she stomped on in, Ace following close behind. The familiar smell of tatami mats and fresh calligraphy ink assaulted her nose, reminding her how new this gym was. Norman stood between the two gym statues, Jess had to soften her gaze from a glare while Ace looked around at the gym in wonder.

“Your partner here looks strong, that’s good. Though you should look into getting another member soon, considering who you’ll be going up against soon.” Norman said. Jess watched as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, the sign he was thinking as he spoke. “I say that because I see that Pokèdex at your hip, and knowing Birch he's asked you to gather Pokèmon and battle data for him, which only means you've agreed to take on the Hoenn Pokèmon League... I want you to go beyond Petalburg woods and challenge the Gym Leader Roxanne in Rustboro City. That should be a good starting point for you to get some good battle experience and data. From there, keep traveling and challenging gyms and other trainers, collect their badges. We will fight, and while I don’t know when, it will be when you are much stronger. I look forward to that day and when I can see you again.”

“Why don’t we just fight right now then?” Jess’ blood couldn’t help but boil over at this point. Norman’s eyes snapped open from the question, clearly surprised and confused. Ace also gasped in surprise at the exclamation. Just _hearing_ him say something like ‘he couldn't wait to see her’ made her recall all the times he backed out of school programs, family events, even her own _birthday_ to work and fight trainers. “You look like you have enough free time and I know you have a Zigzagoon and Skitty to go up against beginner trainers. Or are you too busy ‘working’ to go up against your own kid?”

Before Norman could respond, a meek voice spoke up from behind her.

“U-Um, excuse me…?” Jess turned around, and stepped aside as a young boy with green hair and wearing comfy looking white clothes, clean and crisp as though he rarely left the house. Jess saw him glance at he and flinch away, making the bespectacled girl realized how harsh her expression had gotten while challenging her father, if the boy’s flinch at her gaze told her anything. “I-I need help catching a Pokémon…”

“Oh, you’re the boy from next door, aren’t you? Wally, was it?” Norman asked, donning a smile and speaking in a tone that Jess could only imagine as Norman’s ‘customer service tone.’

“Y-yes, sir. I’m going to go stay with my relatives in Verdanturf Town for a while. But I-I thought I might be lonely by myself, so I wanted to bring a Pokémon with me…” he said as he fidgeted nervously. “But I don’t know how to catch one…”

“Hm, I see…” Norman said. He thought for a moment, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a shiny new Pokéball and a slightly scuffed up one. He stepped forward and gently held the spheres out to Wally, who took them as gingerly as he could, as though they were rare treasures. “Here, you can borrow my Zigzagoon to help and have this Pokéball to catch whatever you find with it. Go and give it your best! Jess!”

The redhead in question jerked her head in the direction the two as he name was called out, having been lost in thought trying to paint a not-so-vicious expression on her face. “You heard all that, right? Go help Wally catch a Pokémon safely.”

“...Sure.” she said while thinking, ‘ _Anything to get out of this gym._ ’

“Y-You… You’ll really come with me? I-It’s not too much trouble, right, Jess?” Wally asked, seeming breathless from shock. Jess stared at the 14 year old for a few seconds, taking in his sickly skin tone and smaller frame. His grey eyes were lit up with joy and determination while his cheeks stained pink from embarrassment. Jess couldn’t help but smile, the kid’s aura of determination easily surpassing the oppressive air of the gym.

“Of course not, Wally. Glad to help.” she watched his expression change from embarrassment to happiness.

“A-Alright! Let’s go, then!” he exclaimed excitedly and headed out the gym doors. Jess followed, going at a slightly slower pace.

“Um, Jess?” Ace asked from beside her.

“Yeah, buddy?”

“Do… Do you hate your dad?”

Jess almost stopped in her tracks at the question. Stumbling over her feet a little, Jess coughed and picked up her pace, moving to catch up with Wally.

“Jessica?” Ace pestered when he didn’t get an immediate response.

“That's for another time, Ace. Stop-.” Jess started off sharply before cutting herself off mid-sentence.

“I’ll tell you you later.” she finished with a much softer tone. She felt bad as from the corner of her eye she could see Ace flinch at the harsh tone she used previously, but said nothing more. Norman was the last thing Jess wanted to talk about in any situation, but she couldn't take it out on Ace.

“O-Okay…” Wally stuttered out as they reached the edge of Petalburg again. Wally hopped nervously from one foot to the other, standing right on the edge of the grass. “Pokémon hide in the tall grass like this, r-right?”

“Yup. You just gotta step on in. One should come up to you eventually.” Jess said and stepped into the grass herself as an example. Almost immediately a Surskit girl in a pretty blue dress jumped out in front of her! Wally jumped back in surprise while Ace dispatched her with a quick Scratch! The battle ended as soon as it began.

“O-Okay! Got it!” Wally said and with a confident nod ran into the grass. He walked right into the center and began walking around, hand nervously clutching Zigzagoon’s Pokéball to his chest. Jess stood to the side and watched, nodding when Wally asked, “P-Please stay there and see if I can catch one properly.”

“Hi!”

“Wh-Whoa!”

Wally almost screamed and jumped back as a head of green hair popped out right in front of him from the grass. He stumbled back and teetered on his heels, almost falling on his back. Gasping, Jess ran forward, arms reaching out to catch him! She sighed as she managed to grab him from behind before he could get close to the ground.

“G-Go, Zigzagoon!” Wally shouted and threw the Pokéball in the air as Jess set him upright. “T-Thank you, Jess.”

“No problem, Wally.” Jess said, kneeling down beside Wally to watch as the battle began.

The Zigzagoon that popped out of the Pokéball looked to be about 14, wearing an old brown bomber jacket and tan trousers, long dark brown hair tied back into a low pony tail. The Pokémon in the grass giggled and stepped forward. His bowlcut green hair covered his eyes as he swayed side to side, wearing a pure white hakama that was a little too big for him and small wooden getas.

Jess felt a bit of a tug in her chest at the sight of this unknown Pokémon.

“O-Okay, okay, you can do this Wally… I-I need to weaken it before I throw the Pokéball. T-Tackle, Zigzagoon!”

Without a moment's hesitation the Zigzagoon ran forward, zipping from side to side before slamming itself shoulder first into the white-clad Pokémon!

“Ow! Meanie!” the Ralts growled, Jess having looked up it’s name while Wally commanded the Zigzagoon to use Tackle again.

“O-Okay! Now if my book was right about weakening it, it’s time for…” Wally struggled to pull the shiny new Pokéball out of his pocket. He yanked it out, and wound a throw up like a pitcher at a big game! Holding his breath, Wally threw the red and white ball as he exclaimed, “For t-the catch!”

The Pokéball spun beautifully through the air, a spinball if Jess ever did see one. He managed to the nail the Ralts right between it’s eyes! Before it disappeared into a blur of red light as it got sucked into the Pokéball, Jess could see the pink eyes beneath it’s bangs filled with surprise and confusion. With a satisfying ‘click!’ the ball closed and hit the ground.

It shook once.

Twice.

Thrice

A final, loud click was heard as the button on the ball stopped glowing red with each shake.

“You did it, Wally!” Jess exclaimed! Overjoyed at seeing her first capture she wrapped her arm around his shoulder and shook him excitedly in a half-hug. Wally’s mouth hung open in shock as the Zigzagoon withdrew into his Pokéball and he processed what happened, only snapping out of it when Ace hugged him in excitement too.

Laughing a little from what Jess could only guess was pure joy, Wally broke away from the hug and ran towards the Pokéball that laid in the grass, falling to his knees as he picked it up and released the Ralts. When he popped out, the Ralts pouted a little, saying, “You could have just tackled me once! I wanted to come with you, since you seem so happy…”

“S-Sorry… I’m Wally, d-do you have a name? O-Or do I give you a nickname? Sorry, I’m new to this…”

“Can you call me Kusanagi? I really like that name!”

“Okay, Kusanagi it is!”

“Hi, Kusanagi! I’m Ace!” Unable to contain him, Torchic ran forward and grabbed Kusanagi’s hands as he excitedly spoke. “I’m the partner of Wally’s friends! Let’s be friends, okay?”

“Okay!” Kusanagi giggled happily. Jess got up and stepped forward, standing behind Wally and Ace. After withdrawing his new partner, Wally turned to Jessica. A huge smile lit up his face as he clutched the shiny Pokéball close to his chest, breathing a bit heavy from the excitement and his own feeling of battle high. “I-I did it… It-it’s my own Pokémon! T-Thank you so, so much, Jess! I wasn’t sure if I could catch him on my own, b-but you helped me!”

“Nah, Wally, it was all you. I just kept you from falling backwards when you slipped.” Jess said, chuckling as she saw his face go pink with embarrassment.

“Okay, let’s head back to the gym.”

“Actually, why don’t you just head on back? There are some things I want to take care of here…” Jess said. Wally hesitated, but nodded and started heading back to the gym.

“What do we have to do, Jess?” Ace asked as he rejoined Jessica’s side.

“I know who our next teammate is going to be.”

~~~

“What time is it now, Jess…?”’

“Nine… o’clock…”

Jess yawned herself as she Ace groaned, lying on his back in the tall grass. They had been looking for a Ralts for nearly 3 hours. The sun had set long ago and now the moon was their only source of light, it’s silvery glow making the green grass and trees seem blue. They had been running back and forth from the Pokémon Center to the grass patch just outside the city, fighting anything that came up to in the beginning but by the time Ace reached level 10 and learned Sand Attack, Jess figured it would be much faster to run from battles. They had adapted their runaway strategy an hour into search.

“Jessica… I’m tried…” Ace whined and got up. He trudged up to Jess, shoes covered in grass and dirt from all their running around, and grabbed onto Jess’ hand. Yawning again, Jess began trudging through the grass.

“As much as I wanted to have a second team member by the end of today, there's no helping it. C’mon, we can just go back to the house for tonight instead of staying at the Pokémon Center…” Jess said and began walking out of the tall grass, almost tripping now and again in her sleepy state.

However, a flash of purple out of the corner of her made her stop in her tracks.

“What’s wrong, Jess…?” Ace asked. He turned his head to look at the forest a moment after Jess did. From beyond the trees, flashes of blue and purple could be seen, followed by the cries of a few Pokémon. Slowly, Jess creeped through the grass, closer towards the flashes of light as whatever battle that was happening raged on. Ace let go of her hand as they reached the edge of the woods and kneeled behind a bush. Jess reached up and gently pulled the branches away so they could see what was going on.

In the middle of a small clearing, two young Ralts faced off against each other. Around them other young Ralts cheered and shouted and booed as it raged on! Though, it was clear who was the crowd favorite, every one of the exclaiming in joy when the larger Ralts wearing an oversized gi landed a punch covered in psychic energy on the smaller one wearing long, flowy pants that could easily be mistaken for a skirt. They booed and shouted and threw rocks at the smaller one when it tried to land a hit. Jess almost felt sick to her stomach as she watched the larger one grab the younger one’s head and sent some sort of psychic blast through his arms to the small Ralts’ head, making them stagger and fall back, but yet to be knocked out. She could practically feel the power herself, as did Ace as he held his head in a bit of pain.

“Awww, does the wittle baby need his mommy?” The older one gloated, crouching down as the smaller one pushed himself up with shaking arms.

“Bite me!” He spat out, quite literally as blood dripped from his lips. He cried out as the back of his bowl haircut was roughly grabbed and he was forced to stand up by the bigger, meaner Ralts. His lackeys at the side hooted and hollered, telling the bigger one to show the the small one who was boss. The small one started crying and screaming furiously.

“I’LL MAKE YOU REGRET THIS YOU! I SWEAR TO ACREUS I WILL YOU IF YOU HURT ME! MY DAD IS A DUSKNOIR THAT KNOWS DIALGA, I WILL MAKE YOU REGRET THIS FOR THE REST OF YOUR SHORT, MISERABLE LIFE!” those words sounded so wrong coming out of a level 3 Ralts that looked like he was seven years old. He was paid no mind to as he was lifted in the air, grabbing at the bully’s hand that held him and flailed his legs! The bully’s shadow darkened and spread around the two, moving of its own. Jess recognized the move as Shadow Sneak. She stood up, this was going too far!

“I doubt it. Nighty-night, brat!”

“What are you doing to him?!”  Jess shouted and stood up, practically jumping from the bushes! She pushed passed the line of Ralts that surrounded the fight, marching right for the center. The leader of the little group gasped and dropped his would-be victim, the Shadow Sneak dissipating and eyes widening as Jess marched straight to him, dwarfing him in size!

“S-Scatter!”

The bully and his crew teleported away, and any Ralts that had come to watch the battle fled. Jess sniffed indignantly, before turning her attention to the Ralts who still sat there, cowering a little with his hands over his face. Ace was knelt next to him, softly talking to him, trying to coax him out of his cowering stance.

“Kid,” Jess began and knelt down. He was shivering, and still crying. She reached over and lightly hovered her hand over his shoulder before placing it there. “Are you-”

“I-I’ll… I’ll... “ The green-hair Pokémon stuttered out.

“ **I’LL KILL THEM ALL!** ”

Jess and Ace exclaimed in shock as a blast of energy pushed them away from the Ralts. The wind whipped up around them into a cyclone and the air pulsed with power. This kid, this Ralts, felt far more powerful than that bully he was just dealing with! Jess groaned as she stood up and took a few step towards the Ralts, as while there was wind it wasn’t very strong. The Ralts’ hair blew everywhere, allowing Jess to see his two eyes beneath his bangs. One was normal, but the other had a grey, nearly black sclera. “ **EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM! THERE WILL BE NOTHING LEFT OF THEM! WHEN I’M THROUGH WITH THEM THEY-!’** ”

“Kid! KID!! **KID!!!** ”

The Ralts blinked and looked up, wind dying down as he got a hold of his outburst. Jess looked into his tear-stained eyes, hands on his shoulders. After a few moments of heavy breathing, Jess sighed in relief and moved to sit down in front of the Ralts. “Sweet Arceus, kid, don’t you think that’s a little harsh? Getting all worked up over a few spineless bullies? He didn’t even have the gall to hit you with that Shadow Sneak he was going to use when I came onto the scene.”

“I-I-I-I-” Jess could feel herself being analyzed in some way, and up close she could now see a small horn poking through Ralts hair where his hairline began glow softly. Mimicking her sigh, the Ralts brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, blushing. “I guess… I’m sorry, I just get really scared and upset because they pick on me all the time. I want to get stronger, but…”

“It’s okay, it’s no one's fault and nothing bad happened.” Jess said. As the Ralts sniffled she noticed the cuts and bruises on his arm. She reached into her bag to brag a potion, but Ace beat her to the punch.

“Here!” The Ralts jerked back as Ace shoved a berry into his face, and looked back and forth between Ace’s cheery face and the berry. “I’m Ace! Eat this and it’ll make you feel better!”

“Really?” The Ralts asked with clear hesitation.

“Yup! Promise!” Ace said and fell to his knees. He watched as the Ralts gingerly bit into the Oran berry, before he gasped and scarfed it down, getting berry juice on his white turtleneck.

“That was so good!”

“I’m glad you liked it! Do you wanna come with me and Jess on a Pokémon adventure?”

“Really?” he asked with a gasp. He then turned his head and looked at Jess with… What she could only assume were puppy eyes behind his bangs based on his tone. “I can come?”

“Well, if you want to get stronger, it’s a near sure fire way.” Jess said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a Pokéball.

“I’m already level 10 and I was level 5 when I met Jess just today.” Ace stated proudly, puffing out his chest and crossing his arms.

“Really? Can… Can you promise me you’ll help me get stronger, stronger than those jerks who always push me around?” The Ralts.

“Only if you’re willing to work for it with me, kid.” Jess said, and held the Pokéball out to him.

He pressed the small button on it without hesitation. It shook in her hands three times before clicking shut. Almost immediately afterwards he popped out again, smiling happily.

“Alright! Let’s get going.”

“Tomorrow.”

“Huh?” He looked up in confusion at Jess as she stood up. Ace yawned again and was so tired he just withdrew into his own Pokéball, not wanting to walk the rest of the way.

“It’s late, and Ace and I have been running around for three hours. Besides, you need more than a berry to heal up with.” Jess said. He pouted, but nodded. He held his arms up. Smiling, Jess reached down and picked him up, fine with carrying the Ralts home on account of the battle he just went through.

“Hey, what’s my name?” He asked as Jess hopped down a ledge.

“That depends. Do you want one?” Jess asked, knowing some Pokémon preferred to be called by their species name.

“Yeah.”

“Hm… How does Alvah sound?”

“Alvah…” She felt the arms around her neck tighten their hold. “I like it.”

“Then nice to meet ya, Alvah.”

~~~

“Oh, Jess! Your home! With a new friend, I see.” Her mother said, coming from the kitchen as Jess entered the house and set Alvah down.

“Yup, we didn't get very far today so we decided to come back home.”  Jess said and took her shoes off, and Alvah followed in suit. “This is Alvah, by the way.”

“Hello.” Alvah said shyly.

“Well, aren’t you just a cutie~?” Her mother cooed, making Alvah blush.

“Are you just getting to making dinner, Mom…? It's 9:30.” Jess asked, noting the smell of spices in the air.

“Yes, I was waiting for your father to come home, but I guess he’s just too busy to come home from the gym…” Her mother said. Jess frowned, hearing her mother barely managed to hide the small amount of sadness in her tone.

“Mom, you-”

A timer cut Jess off.

“Oh, that’s the noodles for the udon! Jess, why don’t you show your friends the bathroom so they can take a bath before dinner? It’ll be a minute before I have anything set up.” With that the older woman rushed toward the stove, and continued cooking.

“Jess?” The redhead in question looked down as Avah tugged at her sleeve for attention. “Is everything okay? Your mood-”

“It’s fine, bud,” Jess didn’t want to hear it right now. She pulled Ace’s Pokéball out of her bag and said, “C’mon, I’ll show you the bathroom and you and Ace can take a bath.”

After shaking Ace awake when she called him out of his Pokéball and showing them the bathroom, Jess and Ace waited patiently outside the bathroom while Alvah took a bath. Occasionally Jess could hear humming and splashing from beyond the door, assuring her the once wild Ralts was okay. While they waited, Jess busted out her 3DS and let Ace play Yo-Kai Watch and she read the book she had picked up from the Pokémart as he waited for his turn for a bath.

“Hey, Jess?” Ace eventually asked, breaking the calm silence that had brewed between them.

“Yeah, Ace?” Jess asked, dog-earing the page page she just finished reading. Most of the stuff in the book were things she already knew, but there were a few useful nuggets of information in it for someone who wasn’t native to Hoenn.

“Can I sit in your lap?”

“...Sure thing, pal.”

The book also refreshed her memory on a few things as well. She had nearly forgotten how important it was to bond with your Pokémon outside of battle, it was hard to when one had previously never owned a Pokémon to bond with. Not only did it strengthen your relationship with your partners, but it allowed both trainer and Pokémon to understand one another better. There were lots of ways to bond, either through playing games with them varying from soccer to chess, training, or simply going out and having fun together. Just like people, the types of things you did together defined your relationship and bond with them. But one of the most recommended bonding methods for all Pokémon was to bond physically, in some manner. With younger, lower-level Pokémon like Ace and Alvah, they naturally seeked out physical attention like hugs and hand-holding, as Jess noted, making bonding somewhat easier. Despite age lending itself differently to every Pokémon, both by species and in general compared to humans, most young Pokémon sought out a best friend/older sibling figure with their trainers they could act like with as such until evolution or they simply got older.

Jess let Ace crawl onto her lap and sit down, the Torchic shifting around a bit until he got comfortable. Once he was sat Jess reached up and began petting his head a bit, smoothing down the odd, three wild locks of yellow hair that rested on the top of his head.

“Jess, why do you call me ‘bud’ or ‘kid’ sometimes?” Ace asked, paying no mind as he was pet.

“I use it as a… term of endearment, I guess.” Jess said with a shrug, not really knowing why herself. It wasn’t far from the truth. Ace and Alvah were her buddies, and they were technically kids from the looks of it. “Do you not want me to call you that?”

“No. What’s a term of endearment?” Ace asked as he tapped the screen of the DS with a stylus rapidly.

“It’s essentially a word I use when I really like something or someone.”

“So you really like me?” Ace asked and craned his head back to look at Jess.

“Of course. You and Alvah are my partners. It’d be bad if I didn’t like my partners!” She said and playfully ruffled her hair, making him giggle.

“Done…” Alvah’s soft voice popped up as he opened the bathroom door. Ace closed the 3DS and put it to the side and hopped up from Jess’ lap. However, as Alvah stepped out of the bathroom, Jess frowned as she saw his green hair was dripping wet, getting his shirt wet.

“No, you’re not.” Jess said. “Grab your towel, a hairbrush, and the hairdryer from under the sink. Ace, you can head on in.”

Alvah was surprised but did as Jess asked of him. The trainer gestured for her Pokémon to sit in front of her after he handed her the items she asked for. Jess set to work drying Alvah’s hair once ace was inside and she could hear the water from the tub drain and shower start. She first used the towel to dry up the excess water, trying to be as gentle as possible, knowing how a psychic types tended to be very sensitive physically, especially around the head. Once his hair was no longer dripping wet, she plugged the blow dryer into a nearby socket and began drying his hair, keeping the heat setting low since his head was still a little sensitive no doubt from her tugging as she dried his hair. She set the towel and blow dryer aside to then brush his hair, carefully working the knots out with her fingers instead of trying to trying to yank them out with the brush.

“Your hair is really soft,” Jess complimented him as she carefully brushed his bangs, wary of the horn. “But ya gotta dry your hair if you want to keep it that way.”

“Okay, sorry.” Alvah said.

“It’s okay, bud.” Jess said.

After Ace was done, Jess put away the towels and other things. Dinner was fun, far more lively than it had been in a long time with Ace and Alvah there rather than just her and her mother. Both of them loved the spicy udon thankfully, though Ace needed some help with learning how to hold his chopsticks. Ace excitedly described to Jess’ mother all the amazing and fun things they had done through the day, how he was now level 10 and how they met Alvah. There wasn’t a single silent moment between them all, something Jess hadn’t experienced in a long time.

After dinner, Jess sent the two of  them upstairs to go play Mario Kart on her Wii U. Jess stayed downstairs, helping her mother clean up after dinner. Once done she headed upstairs, and saw Ace and Alvah sitting side by side, playing split screen. Jess’ mother had dug out some of her old t-shirt from childhood for the two to wear so Ace wore a pink ‘Powerpuff Jigglypuffs’ shirt and Alvah a ‘Mankey Kong’ one as make-shift nightgowns.

“Alright, guys, time for bed.” Jess said, laying out two spare sleeping bags for them. Both of them whined, but after a firm look turned the console off and crawled over to a sleeping bag.

“Night, Jess!” Ace chirped as she snuggled into the sleeping bag.

“Good-night, Jessica.” Alvah said, hugging one of Jess’ old plushies he had found and taken quite the liking too.

“Sleep tight, buddies.” Jess said as she tucked them in. She got up and walked over to her own bed, the lamp beside it being the only source of light in the room. Laying down in bed, Jess reached up and turned the small switch at the side, plunging the room in darkness, save for the moon beams coming through the window. Closing her eyes, Jess fell asleep to the sound of her two partners quietly snoring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way if you haven't guessed yet, this and any other Pokémon fan-fiction I write will reference other Pokémon games, canon, non-canon, and otherwise.
> 
> And that's it for this chapter. Please kudo if you think the story is worth it and comment, critiques and advice on how to improve the story are very much welcome.

**Author's Note:**

> I know Brendan isn't that much of a sexist jerk, but it it a notable of difference when compared to how May treats the male MC!
> 
> Also I don't know when I'll post/make the next chapter because college and my college schedule is 'wonderful.'
> 
> Well that's the end of chapter one. Can't wait to finish chapter to two and get on back here, hopefully I can do so soon. Stuff actually happens in the next chapter! Please leave a comment and kudos if you liked it, and critiques are very much welcome since I'm a bit rusty in the writing department, it's been a while.


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